Recommended Reads for Equity: Fiction

Recommended by: Daphne Suen, Student UW Seattle, Population Health

" While a bit on the nose about the racism because it’s catered to young adults, the book is an amazing read. It is set in 1828 in London during the Opium Wars. Robin immigrated to London from China after his mother died from Cholera in search of a “better life” with his “sponsor”. He studied at Oxford linguistics and translation to create magical silver bars that power Britain’s colonialist endeavors. As a result, we see Robin struggle and try to make sense of how his pursuit of knowledge is perpetuating the same efforts that stripped him of his home and family. This book not only helped me view colonialism in a new light but also helped me understand modern-day immigration - immigrants seeking shelter from colonialist and white-supremacy fueled conflict to then contribute to the same conflicts they ran from. The writing is poetic and beautiful, and it forced me to grasp my own immigrant history."

Recommended by: Anonymous, Staff UW Seattle, Prospect Development

"This book is a unique way to learn more about the history of disenfranchising Native Americans throughout our time in this country. It starts seemingly as a murder mystery, but quickly becomes so much more as it explores the ways in which white men used murder and power to get what the wanted from the Osage Tribe."

Recommended by: Addy Ascencio, Student UW Seattle, UW Libraries

" I really enjoyed reading this book because Moreno-Garcia incorporates gothic tropes in a setting that is not an English countryside. The novel primarily takes place in an eerie mansion, in the middle of a Mexican countryside during the 1950s. There are issues of race, natural selection, and the mass murder of an entire mining town in order for white outsiders to profit from. It's a little dark, a little creepy, a little sad. I loved how Moreno-Garcia's novel takes place in Mexico with gothic tropes, opening the door to readers / writers to enjoy with a modern twist! Literature should be inclusive, and I believe that Moreno-Garcia does this in her novel by including her own cultural spin with a beloved literary genre, while still criticizing social ideologies during the 1950s."

Recommended by: Taylor Healey-Brooks, Student UW Seattle, Information School

" As a black woman, this book transformed my life. Everyone needs to read Passing because it provides extraordinary insight into the human condition. It is a story of morality, injustice, love, hope, and tragedy in 1930s Harlem, NY. The book serves a disruption to the rigid divisions of race, class, and sexuality. What does it mean to be black? What does it mean to be white? Or Poor? Or Wealthy?. A book far ahead of it's time Nella Larsen's novel allows the reader to examine these terms equity and diversity and genuinely understand the power behind these words."

Recommended by: Madhumita Raman, Student UW Seattle, Public Health

" This books represents an ongoing human rights issue in Afghanistan."

Recommended by: Anonymous, Staff UW Seattle, Student Activities Office

" I think often EDI books come in the form of non-narrative. I appreciated this narrative take on the American Indian experience and the different viewpoints. It's a great reminder/story telling about how there is no single story for the modern native experience."

Recommended by: Madhumita Raman, Student UW Seattle, Public Health

" This book represent an ongoing human rights issue in Afghanistan."

Recommended by: Esha Gollapalli, Student UW Seattle, School of Public Health

" The book is pretty popular right now which is why I picked it up and I loved it. It’s written from a white woman’s perspective where she steals the work of her recently deceased friend who was a famous Chinese author. The main character blatantly white washes the novel and submits it as her own novel. There were a lot of instances of racist micro aggressions and subtleties where she clearly lacks understanding or appreciation of Asian culture, and Kuang writes it all in a gripping way. This book made me think about similarities seen in my own Indian culture, the Asian American experience and more about the importance of representation and inclusivity in media and how often white writers portray non-white characters and how it is often distastefully done."